Rotary brush cleaner for the terminals of distributors



July 12, 1949. R. o. MERCHANT ROTARY BRUSH CLEANER FOR THE TERMINALS OF DISTRIBUTORS Filed Feb. 2, 1946 INVENTOR. 84; PH 0. ME/PLHA/Vf i4 Kim 4 TTOP/VEV Patented July 12, 1949 OFFICE ROTARY BRUSH CLEANER FOR THE TERMINALS OF DISTRIBUTORS Ralph 0. Merchant, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 2, 1946, Serial No. 645,188

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a device for cleaning the terminal contacts of a timer or distributor cap and has for its main object to provide a simple and effective device of the character indicated.

The contact portions or points of the terminals of a distributor cap are difiicult of access for cleaning because of their position adjacent the bottom of the cap. Their inaccessible location coupled with the vertical disposition of the com tact faces, renders a proper cleaning operation quite difiicult. Heretofore, sandpaper, knives or screw drivers effected haphazard and inefficient cleaning or scraping resulting in a loss of eficiency in the operation of the distributor. The inefiici ency of opertion was mainly due to the uneven cleaning of the contacts or points and the resultant variations in the gaps between the points and the rotating contact arm of the distributor.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a simple, inexpensive and efiicient tool or device which can be readily applied to a distributor cap and centered thereon to uniformly and effectively clean the terminal points of said cap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the character indicated which automatically centers itself on a distributor cap and by simple rotation of a handle or knob uniformly cleans the terminal points of the cap.

My invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section, of a contact point cleaning tool according to the invention and shown applied for cleaning the points of a distributor cap.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the lower or cleaning portion of the tool.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view thereof, partly broken away.

It will become apparent that the cleaning tool of the present invention can be variously designed according to different forms of distributor caps. The essentials of a typical cap are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and comprise a cup-shaped housing Hi open at one end to form an annular rim H and provided with a partially spherical bottom l2, a central terminal or contact l3, and a plurality, in this case six, of uniformly spaced radially arranged terminal contacts l4 centered on the terminal l3. Typically, each contact l4 comprises a stud projecting from the cup wall 12 into the interior of the cap, each stud being formed with an arcuate face Hi, the curvature of which is generated about the center or axis of the cap. The arcuate face l5 of each stud extends outwardly from the floor of cap I0, said studs having co planar shoulders residing inwardly of the respec= tive faces I5.

The tool of the present invention comprises, generally, a centering plate adapted to engage the rim II of the cap, a stem l1 guided by said plate and passing freely therethrough, a handle or knob IE on the outer end of the stem, and contact cleaning means is carried at the other end of the stem and designed for cleaning the faces l5 of the contacts upon rotation of the knob I B.

The plate It is preferably formed with an annular shoulder 20 whereby said plate can be applied to the cap rim II and held thereon Without lateral displacement. A central hole 2| for the stem I! is provided in the plate IS.

The stem is formed as a round rod threaded at one end for the knob l8. The other end may also be threaded as at 22 for the cleaning means I9. If desired, the thread 22 may be replaced by a riveted connection for the means IS.

The handle 18 simply comprises a knob which can be grasped in the palm of the hand for efficient rotation of the stem l1 and the cleaning means l9 thereon.

The cleaning means I9 which is illustrated comprises a circular wire brush 23 flanked on both sides by similar Washer plates 24, the latter having threaded connection on the thread 22 of the stem IT. The outer diameter of the brush 23 is somewhat larger than that of the washer plates, being made to suit the diameter on which the contact faces l5 are formed. By threading one washer plate 24 on the stem to the limit of the thread 22, dropping the brush 23 over the stem end and against said washer plate, and tightly threading the other washer plate against the brush, the cleaning means I9 is easily and nonrotationally assembled on the tool. It is as easily removed for replacement or repair.

The brush 23 is maintained as a unit by upper and lower clamping discs 25 which are preferably formed with integral staples 26 extending transversely through the brush and into spaces 27 formed in the discs. The spaces 27 are formed by the transversely bent staples. The brush 23 may either be centered on the stem l! or On inturned flanges 28 provided on the washer plates 28.

In practice, the cleaning means I9 is pressed into place so that the wire ends of the brush 23 are firmly engaged with the contact faces G5. The plate 16 is then dropped so that it engages the cap rim l I with the annular shoulder 20 engaged with the inner wall of the cap. By pressing the cap l and the plate 1 6 firmly together, rotating the knob l8 and simultaneously pressing the tool into the bottom of the cap against the shoulders of the studs, the wire ends of the brush will uniformly, quickly and effectively, clean and brighten the contact faces l of the terminals I l. After removing the tool and removing particles of metal resulting from the cleaning operation, the cap is ready for use with assurance that its contacts are clean and uniformly spaced from the cap center.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A cleaning tool for the terminal studs of a distributor cap, said cap having an annular rim at its open end and said studs being each formed with an arcuate face the curvature of which is generated about the center of the cap and the annular rim thereof, and each stud having a shoulder inward of each respective arcuate face, said shoulders being coplanar, comprising a circular brush formed of generally radially disposed bristles the diameter of which is slightly greater than the diametral distance between opposed arcuate faces of the terminals, a clamp 4 disc on each side of the brush the diameter of which is slightly less than said diametral distance between opposed arcuate faces of the terminals whereby said brush bristles are clamped against displacement from their normal disposition and only the relatively short unclamped ends of said bristles are adapted for flexure upon wiping en gagement with said arcuate faces, the diameter of said discs being greater than the distance between opposed studs whereby one of them adapted to engage the mentioned coplanar shoulders thereof, a central stem extending perpendicularly from the brush and discs and be yond the annular rim of the cap, an operating knob on the extending end of said stem for rotative movement of the brush and discs, and a plate having an annular shoulder for separable engagement with the annular rim of the cap and having a central hole through which said stem extends for centering said stem and the brush and discs thereon during rotative movement of the tool to effect cleaning by the unclamped ends of the bristles of the arcuate faces of the terminal studs.

RALPH 0. MERCHANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 253,884 Odell 1 Feb. 21, 1882 285,222 Brunelle Sept. 18, 1883 439,740 Barger Nov. 4, 1890 565,218 Rendel Aug. 4, 1696 597,187 Larson Jan. 11, 1898 677,502 Farnham July 2, 1901 1,517,882 Wuelker Dec. 2, 1924 1,583,001 Meints May 4, 1926 1,683,456 Frost Sept. 4, 1928 2,281,722 Smith May 5, 194.2

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,430 Great Britain 1897 174,826 Germany Sept. 11, 1906 196,919 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1923 

